"Is it Saturday Yet?...."

Mona Vale Homestead

Yes it is. Saturday of a 3 day weekend for Labour Day on Monday. YAY!! I love this working concept of having public holidays off. While it was nice to be paid time & a half on public holidays when worked, I have to admit it's much nicer to have it off & to chill out & relax. So that is what I did today.

Pretty much nothing! While my Husband studied I lay on the couch, caught up on some TVOnDemand, read a blog, did some cross-stitch & yes of course got the washing done. A pretty successful day of nothing. And I really enjoyed it. It is quite nice to just laze about & not do a hell of a lot really. I haven't got a list of stuff to do & thought why not.

I did go for a wonder to Mona Vale Gardens after lunch for some air. It was very windy today, leaves & seedlings & everything being blown around.

A Red Rose

Mona Vale was really quite stunning in the sunshine. Sitting there you can hardly believe there is a bustling city surrounding it all. I remember sitting in the central library in the city, studying & amazed at how even on the wettest day in winter the city still bustled. It's what makes me love this place. Christchurch will not look the same again after the 10,0000+ earthquake/aftershocks it has had but the heart of it still beats & it will look amazing once again (when people in high places get their act together - but I won't go into my opinion of all that now).

After Jane Seymour perhaps?

Mona Vale Bathhouse

Avon River through Mona Vale Gardens

Tomorrow Church with some other house work thrown in there & then Monday a quick wee trip up & over the Port Hills to my favourite place in all of NZ AKAROA!! We'll nip over there for some lunch & no doubt plenty of photographs.

Finally watched 'The Hobbit' this weekend, I some what enjoyed it. Not so involved as the LOTR trilogy but not bad. I'm still curious as to how Peter Jackson has made such a small book into 3 movies. Split into 2 maybe but 3?? Oh well shall wait & see what happens in the following two. No doubt though it'll probably be a year until I watch the 2nd one on DVD. Who knows?

Ta ta for now..... will share Akaroa soon. Enjoy your weekend...!

"So there's an Us...."

20/10

20th October 2007 is when it all started - well it was warming up before then but this was the date when it all came to a head. When Simon said to me (after a slightly awkward talk) said '...so there's an us..." and the rest is history - now we're married & working & enjoying life together as it was meant to be....

1st Flowers from Simon

Simon's Graduation Dec 2007

Moeraki Boulders Jan 2008

1st Anniversary at Mount Cook

Our Engagement

Married now!!!

!st Wedding Anniversary Flowers

Maruia Springs - 2nd Wedding Anniversary

So on Sunday we've been together for 6 years...

"It's the Weekend... they're coming around quick..."

Hello!!

Today is a lovely sunny, spring day here in Christchurch. The expected temperatures are 20 & 21 degrees respectively, for this weekend.

So far I've done the washing. It is always a get up & get it done first on a Saturday. It's one of those OCD routine things of mine that I just HAVE to do before I can get on with anything else.

The washing our drying

As usual I have written a list of things to be done this weekend, I do this every weekend but more often than not, only the straight forward or must be done things actually do get done. But of course I tell myself I WILL get it all done, so this weekend is no exception.

Taj Mahal Cross-stitch

What I've done so far

I will endeavour to stitch some more of the Taj this weekend. I'm really liking the shades of oranges/peaches for the flowers along the bottom of the reflection. And the couple of shades of green just offset it all nicely.

I thoroughly enjoy doing cross-stitch - I take it to work to do while on my breaks.

Last night, while popping into the Warehouse to look for a nerf throwing thing (my husband has this idea we'll go throw it around the park this summer - this could happen....) we happened to walk past the baking area (whoops) and cam across this great little accessory that I had to have. 

It is a muffin corer - an awesome find, once you've cooked the muffins you use this to scoop out the centre a bit to then add a filling of your choice. I was quite stoked with this find, as I've quite liked the idea of adding fillings to my muffins but when I have tried the filling has just sunk to the bottom of the cupcake/muffin pan, therefore not having the desired effect. This'll be great because a teaspoon does't do the trick either. I'm not sure though when I will get around to using this. 

Among other things listed I have my Theophostic chapter to read & questions to answer. I've been studying Theophostic Prayer Ministry this year, along with receiving it and it is quite simply AMAZING. It is Christ bringing peace & truth to lie-based thinking that we all have. It is effective, I love the feeling of peace that washes over when Christ's truth has come to the ultimate lies I've convinced myself of in my younger years, that have just been built on through my interpretation of events. (we all do this - every single one of us). It is fantastic!!

Well that gives some idea of my current thinking for this weekend. I am hoping to blog a bit more regularly than I have been (considering I have been nagging a friend to update her blog on building their home that they're now in - so I must practice what I preach). I want to make it a bit more real is well, not just for when we go away or do something 'fun'. I do love reading blogs of what people actually get up to. 

Enjoy your weekend everybody. And I hope you too complete your lists of things to get done.

Take care...

"What have you been up to lately???"

.........................It has been quite awhile since I wrote an update, I'm quite terrible at this blog thing...............

So what's been happening of late. Well my husband has stopped working and gone to CPIT to study a graduate diploma in ICT. So while we have dropped to one income & had to tighten our belts a little/somewhat (ie I really must not go into shoe stores - but the catch 22 of that is that I need to replace my summer sandals that Dad's dog George ate in March = dilemma). However, the upside is that I am actually getting on and doing other stuff, stuff I've been listing to do for quite sometime.

Finance wise, we're doing pretty good, my husband gets the odd days work at his previous job, which is really good, because it means he isn't committed to set hours on a weekly basis and can say no if he has too much on study wise and were managing reasonably well  on just my wage (if this was a year ago it would be pushing it, probably not do-able but as I am now in a better paying job, thanks to God's grace & blessing, it is okay to do this now).

As mentioned it's lead to me getting on and doing my list of activities from this post. In fact I have completed the India scrapbook - it still has some finishing touches to be done but I've actually done it. I'm quite pleased with my effort with getting things done. The list still has a few things on it, but I have 8 months to get it all done.

Front Page of India Scrapbook

All pages - they're double sided

I was quite pleased with my effort in starting & completing it all within about a month - it is the biggest of the ones I have listed to do.

Spring Blossom

Spring is of course now in full swing, with warmer & longer days (yay - daylight savings has been & gone), of which the first indication of spring is blossom in full bloom. So we managed to finally grab some photos of the beautiful trees before they turned green. They looked just stunning.

Blossom Trees along Harper Ave in Hagley Park

And I've gone ahead & bought a couple of cross-stitch kits. The Taj Mahal with it's stature reflecting in the pond that runs in front of the wonder. Which from my very first blog we have been to see & have the photos to mirror the cross-stitch. I also bought a third cross-stitch, a Me-to-You teddies wedding one, with two little bears sitting on a swing. I saw it  a couple of years ago when I first went hunting for a wedding cross-stitch & put on the list to get, so I finally managed to get one a a good price from the UK.

A couple more projects

I have started the Taj Mahal cross-stitch, about a quarter of the way through it. I take it to work & sit on my breaks doing it. A lot of colours in it, less of large areas of one colour, more of the colours across & running into each other.

There we are an update. I do apologise to anyone who may read this blog on occassion for long delays between writings. Sometimes not a lot happens or goes on. Hopefully this summer will bring more things to share with you all.